craft beers generally remain way behind the main domestic brews and imports in both case sales and revenue. Part of the explanation for this has to do with distribution.

The fact that the next sentence wasn't pointing out that any beer with competitive national distribution is by definition not a craft-scale beer (Sam Adams is sort of on the edge, honestly) kinda makes me doubt that this guy has the perspective required to be allowed to have an opinion on anything.

// If you have more than one facility involved in your product or own a separate distribution concern as a subsidiary or sole affiliate, technically you're not a 'craft beer' anymore.

CruJones:I have no trouble finding a good beer, ever. Just keep your mountain of hops out, thanks.

I couldn't agree more. 65% of my sales (in a very small venue) are craft beers. I've asked my reps, why this (the over hopping) is going on. First you get the official answer; "It makes a distinctive product that discerning drinkers can easily differentiate from the others."

But for them what i think it's about is the fact that IPA's ship and store better. Something about the hops. On the consumer side it's like the hot sauce crowd. "Look what I can tolerate!" It becomes a status symbol to be able to drink an ale that literally tastes like a grapefruit it is so hoppy.

A few years ago I went on a cross country bicycle tour. Bud Lights dominance on the American landscape was obvious. It was a boring ride across 2000 miles of farm fields and scrub grass into a headwind. I had nothing to look at but the trash collecting in the ditches. It was mostly Bud Light cans. It was striking enough that it required remarking on.

My dad drank at least a 6 pack of Bud every day since he was a teenager. then due to medical reason he wasn't able to drink for about 2 months. so after his first sip when he could drink again, he acts super surprised at the taste and says "beer isn't supposed to taste like that!"

WTF Indeed:That's a lot of concern trolling over beer. However the real problem with American CRAFT beer is that everyone wants to make an IPA.

Seriously. The worst part is that they all end up tasting the same- they all taste like hops. While hoppiness is key to the flavor of beer, if it conceals the malt, all you're really doing is making a shiatty beer.

Truth is there has never been a better time to be a beer aficionado in the US. It's to the point where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a brewpub, at least in some states.

I can handle the beer snobs, they're easy to ignore and/or ridicule behind their goatees. However I do tire of overhopped battery-acid beer. I make beer and I see the tendency of brewpubs/microbrews to overhop beers like IPAs as the equivalent of the US megabrews to underhop their pisswater fizzy pale yellow watery lagers. It's actually harder to make the latter than the former, at least in terms of hitting the style. When you dump ten ounces of hops in your batch your cat could take a dump in the wort and you probably wouldn't be able to tell under all those hops. But making a light later taste right is a real challenge.

The megabrews will get little sympathy from me. They probably spend more in advertising than all microbrews spend on equipment and ingredients. Some will likely die the death of a thousand cuts as more people "drink locally" or at least drink a larger variety. There is a time and a place for a six pack of aluminum cans full of fizzy beer, but 99% of the time I'd rather drink water.

t3knomanser:WTF Indeed: That's a lot of concern trolling over beer. However the real problem with American CRAFT beer is that everyone wants to make an IPA.

Seriously. The worst part is that they all end up tasting the same- they all taste like hops. While hoppiness is key to the flavor of beer, if it conceals the malt, all you're really doing is making a shiatty beer.

Exactly. Which is why I still think the Germans make the best beer in the world.... mostly lagers and oh that wonderful malt....

t3knomanser:WTF Indeed: That's a lot of concern trolling over beer. However the real problem with American CRAFT beer is that everyone wants to make an IPA.

Seriously. The worst part is that they all end up tasting the same- they all taste like hops. While hoppiness is key to the flavor of beer, if it conceals the malt, all you're really doing is making a shiatty beer.

Well most beers taste like hops or malt or a combo of the two. You could say the same about too much of either one

I have to agree that too many brewers are jumping on the "as hoppy as possible" IPA bandwagon, and it needs to stop. Pretty much anything with "hop" in the name.

Granted I'm biased, but one of the best IPAs I've had in recent years is from my buddy's brew pub, he calls it "Facelift". Its hoppy, but has an appropriate malt balance.

Its kind of like a hoppier version of the Sierra Nevada pale ale, which is one of my all-time favorites. It's just so well balanced. One of the things I liked about the west coast was that Sierra Nevada was available on tap like Sam Adams is on the east coast.

But to the topic, I think Dogfish Head is doing it right. They have their line of IPAs, but also keep making small experimental batches of some truly unique brews, if you can find them.

t3knomanser:WTF Indeed: That's a lot of concern trolling over beer. However the real problem with American CRAFT beer is that everyone wants to make an IPA.

Seriously. The worst part is that they all end up tasting the same- they all taste like hops. While hoppiness is key to the flavor of beer, if it conceals the malt, all you're really doing is making a shiatty beer.

This is true, and while I like a hoppy beer:

I also like

which is like the antiChrist of the first one.

While there's been some improvement in America on the craft beer scene, I don't even recognize gnat's piss like "Bud Light" as being beer. It's more like failed sake cut with soda water and boredom.

I like a good IPA as much as anyone, but there gets to be a point where the stuff is so potently hopped you kind of wonder what it is that the brewer is trying to hide from you.

Anyway, all styles have their time and place. Miller High Life might not be the kind of beer you order at a gastropub, but damned if an ice chest full of them isn't a beautiful sight on a hot summer day.

ladyfortuna:WTF Indeed: That's a lot of concern trolling over beer. However the real problem with American CRAFT beer is that everyone wants to make an IPA.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

*eyes you*

I always loves me a good IPA, but there's so many now, that they're all starting to just blur together.

I've been using Untappd and thanks to me being a badge whore, I've had incentive to search out some other styles. I've been into farmhouse ales lately what are great for when it eventually warms up outside.